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I have stock X-carve motor and after not using my machine for a couple of months the motors are all of the X and Y motors seem to be stepping at half and not very consistently. Inventables sent me a new controller board (I can’t honestly remember if I actually did any carves after it was installed beside a basic carve.
I did start to use Charlie’s Triquetra toolbox to fine tune to fix, but I didn’t really get consistent results. However, the odd thing is the Z axis seems to be fine. Original grbl setting were 40steps/mm for X and Y. When turning X I got up to 80, but not consistently accurate results to feel like I can use the setting to do carves.
Any thoughts on what the heck could be going on or is there s setting on the board I need to change?
Go here for a calculator for your steps/mm. Send X a certain distance, measure actual distance traveled, input into calc and adjust your $100(x),$101(y),$102(z) accordingly.
I already did that. I didn’t get consistent results and it was twice what it should be. Odd I haven’t had any issues the close to a year I have had this thing.
The calculated steps. 40 steps per mm has been fine. When I calculated the measurement today it was 79 - 80 not really consistent to just use the number given. I have doing fine tuning in the past is the 40 steps was dead on.The steps should be determined by the motor correct?
You mentioned a new controller board and that you don’t remember if you did any carving outside of the test carve. The microstepping on the new board you received may be different than what your old board was set on. You can check the dip switches on the board and see what it’s set at. But… if you send 40 and it goes 80, you need to change your steps/mm.
If it’s exactly double what you tell it to go, then half your steps on that axis. If it’s “close” to double then measure the exact distance and use the calc.
The inconsistency could be loose belts or wheels. I’d check belts and wheel tightness, then at least get the steps/mm in the right ballpark even if the numbers aren’t consistent. Then redo the calc again and dial it in and see how consistent it is after that.
X-controller. Apparently the board they sent me was updated. (The automatic spindle control just stopped working in the board that was replaced.)
The weird thing to me is it is just the X and Y and not the Z axis. The Z is still dead on. Also, I did not notice a loose wheel which since it is both the X and Y axis I wouldn’t think would be the issue.
